Sugar Ray Versus Hagler

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I watched the VP debate - every second of it. By the end, the double-speak and misconceptions made my head spin and I had trouble getting to sleep, but I thought it was interesting to say the least. No car wrecks - the candidates were well-prepared. Maybe too well-prepared in some instances. Yet I won't discuss winner or loser. I just need to compare it to a prize fight I once saw: Leonard-Hagler.

My brother was a huge Marvelous Marvin Hagler fan. He loved the way Hagler brutalized an opponent. Me? I enjoyed watching Sugar Ray Leonard - who always entertained the crowd and really knew how to move, mug for the camera and get the hell out of dodge when it got too heated.

Leonard won the fight and I rode my brother hard. It was a real entertaining fight to watch as Sugar Ray ran in, threw a hundred little jabs that wouldn't knock out my sister, and smiled real wide as Hagler became frustrated with his inability to land a solid punch.

The judges declared Leonard the winner. My brother tried to argue substance over style, and I just laughed at him. Being that he's as mean as a rattlesnake when confronted, he promptly beat the hell out of me for Hagler's sake.

Anyway, I owe my brother an apology. A couple of years ago, I re-watched the fight and saw that he was right. Hagler was the better fighter that night. I had been swayed by Leonard's style.

I thought a lot about that fight last night as I watched the debate.

You figure out who had the style points. You figure out who ducked the punches. You figure out who won.

Four years from now - ask yourself the same questions.

There wasn't a car wreck last night. Both candidates did well for their running mates. It just reminded me of Leonard-Hagler - that's all.

One final question? When did the Republican party become about hockey mom's and Joe six-pack?

I missed that transition.

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